Type-30 Light Excavation/Anti-Fortification Platform
|width= |height= |mass= |max accel= |max speed space= |max speed air= |engine=Quadrupedal walking-leg assembly |slipspace drive= |slipspace speed= |poweroutput= |power= |shield gen=Equipped |hull= |sensor= |target= |navigation= |avionics= |countermeasures= |armament= Charged plasma cannonHalo Encyclopedia, page 245 |complement= |crew=1 operator |skeleton= |passengers= |capacity= |consumables= |othersystems= |firstuse= |role= Anti-structure |era= Human-Covenant war |affiliation= Covenant Empire }} The Type-30 Light Excavation/Anti-Fortification Platform, more commonly identified as the Locust by the UNSC, is a Covenant-made quadrupedal walking combat vehicle featured in Halo Wars.Halo Wars: Spartans in a Strategy Game It is typically used as a "building killer." Appearance The Locust is a smaller counterpart to the Scarab walker, possessing one rotating turret which hosts a single large plasma cannon. It does not share the Scarab's spiked "feet," though it has been seen using its legs to climb over obstacles in a similar manner to its larger cousin. Its central turret looks similar to a Banshee's cockpit. It fires a straight purple-pink beam, which is a useful weapon against enemy ground and air targets. It has a very long and effective range and can hit enemy forces when even their longest-ranged units cannot strike back. The Locust also has a shield that wears down after heavy enemy fire. Once the shield is down, it stays down, until its shield regenerates. The vehicle is about as large as a Scorpion. Combat and Tactics The Locust, like the Scarab, is a mining unit that has been refitted for combat.http://www.halowars.com/GameInfo/Factory.aspx#Locust It has the longest effective range of any Covenant ground unit. The Locust is specifically designed to take down static targets, and is only able to open fire when stationary. The Locust can be upgraded with the "Overdrive" attack as well as with the "Shield Amplifier" defensive ability. The former upgrade allows the Locust to divert energy from its shield generator to its main cannon, increasing its attack power; the latter upgrade makes the unit's shield regenerate faster. As a long-range tool known as the "building killer," the Locust is largely used to attack an enemy's defenses from a safe distance. This is a useful alternative to a direct confrontation, which would result in casualties for the attacker. A small group of Locusts can be used to assist a force of smaller warriors, like Kig-Yar, making it far easier for the group to destroy enemy buildings. Larger groups of Locusts can be used in a surprise attack against an enemy, and in such cases, the Locusts can often level the targeted base in under thirty seconds; however, the inherent vulnerability of the unit makes this a gamble. Against non-structure targets, the Locust is fairly weak. Though able to do significant damage, the Locust is brittle, and falls quickly to concentrated fire. However, its beam can lure enemy units towards awaiting forces, allowing them to be quickly cut down. You may want to plant Locust at certain blindspots and have some units surround them to protect them from being cut down so easily. Upgrades: #'Overdrive' is a special attack that drains the user's shield to boost its offensive power. #'Shield amplifier' increases the Locust's shield regeneration rate. It is useful when used with Overdrive, and it also stacks with the "Shield of the Forerunners" upgrade from the Temple, allowing an even quicker recharge rate. Resource: 300 Minimum Tech Level: 2 Population Count: 3 Trivia *Like the Scarab, the Locust is named after an insect. Locusts are members of the grasshopper family, infamously known for rapidly stripping fields of crops. The walker's similar "building killer" status may be the reason for the vehicle's name. *It is possible that that the Locusts are the insect-like mining vehicles seen by Spartan Red Team during the Fall of Reach, as mentioned in Halo: First Strike. These vehicles were previously believed to be an early version of the Scarab, which also used to be a mining device, before being converted for war. *Locusts are presumably piloted by Sangheili or Jiralhanae, depending on the player's selected leader, as their voices can be heard responding to the player when they are given orders. Although, in Halo Wars 2, it is said in the Locust's Phoenix Log, that it houses Lekgolo worms, like the Scarab. Which may or may not indicate that, either: only the Banished employ the use of Lekgolo in their Scarabs, or that such a measure is somehow necessary and was always the case with the Covenant. *They are especially dangerous on Legendary difficulty, capable of killing a hero in 8–9 seconds. *The Locust's shield is different from other Covenant unit shields in the game in that it is spherical rather than contouring with the shape of the hull of the vehicle or building. *Unlike its much larger cousin, the Locust is on the fragile side. Once the shield is out and you are able to concentrate fire on it, it goes down within a few seconds. A couple of Scorpions can make quick work of a lot of them in the hands of a skilled player. Gallery SCV02 VultureFight.jpg|Locusts engaging UNSC forces. locust.jpg|A locust in Halo Wars 441_realsize.jpg|A locust with Jiralhanae seen in Halo Legends. 412015.jpg|The Mega Bloks Locust set 10d-Cov Veh-Eq.png|Locust compared to other covenant vehicles. HW2 Concept BloodfuelLocust.jpg|Card artwork of the Bloodfuel Locust from Halo Wars 2. Appearances *''Halo Wars'' *''Halo Legends'' Sources de:Locust ru:Тип_30_"Саранча" Category:Covenant Vehicles